What Is Cards Betting in Football?
There are two types of betting when it comes to cards – team-based and player-based.
When it comes to team-based, you can bet on the specific amount of cards a team receives, or whether they get over or under a certain amount.
Player-based is where you are choosing a specific individual to pick up a booking.
There are two types of cards in a football match – yellow and red.
Bookmakers use official match data providers to determine what cards have been distributed in a match.
Types of Cards Betting Markets
Total match cards (over-under)
This betting market is simply choosing whether you think the total cards in the match will be over or under a certain amount. For example, if you back there to be over 3.5 cards in a game involving Team A and Team B and there are four cards shown, this bet is successful.
Team total cards
For this market, you are backing how many cards one team will get. For example, if you back Team A to get three cards but they receive only two, this is a losing bet.
Player to be carded
This market is where you are backing a specific player to be carded. If a player is shown a yellow or a red, this is a winning bet.
Player to be sent off
This market is where you are backing a specific player to be sent off. This can either be a straight red card or two yellows.
Both teams to receive a card
This market involves you backing both teams to receive a card. You can also increase the odds by backing both teams to receive two or more cards.
First card received (team)
You choose whether Team A or Team will receive the first card in the match. If you believe there will be no cautions, then you can choose the ‘No Card’ option.
First card received (player)
While being able to choose a specific player to be booked, you can also back which player you think will receive the first card of the contest.
What Counts as a Card?
There are two types of cards in football matches – yellow and red.
A yellow card is shown when a referee believes a foul has been committed that is deemed bad enough for a yellow, but not a red.
If a red card is shown, the player is sent off and has to leave the pitch and head to the dressing room.
Red cards can be shown in two different ways, with the referee either showing a straight red or a player receiving two yellows in a match.
Cards shown to managers, staff or players on the bench are usually not counted when it comes to card bets.
Each bookmaker determines how card bets are settled and it is important to read the terms and conditions.
How to Place a Cards Bet
Here is an example of how to place a bet on a player to be carded.
- Choose the match you want to bet on
- Select the cards market
- Pick a player to be booked
- Enter your stake and place the bet
Tips for Betting on Cards
There are several tips when it comes to betting on cards in football.
There is plenty of player data available and you can look into the record of the player over recent matches, seeing whether they have been cautioned and how many fouls they have been committing.
You can also look at the record of the referee. Again, there is plenty of information on the records of referees and how many cards they have awarded.
The importance of the match is another factor to consider. Derby matches tend to involve more tackling and cards given the disdain each team has for each other. It is also good to look at what is at stake in the clash, is it a final, does one side need the result more than the other?